From October 15th -26th the staff of the
EWAG are putting on a unique exhibit that
steps outside their usual backstage role. ‘Pay
No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain’ is an exhibit featuring art by the curators and monitors of the EWAG. The exhibit
will include a variety of mediums including
painting, drawing, sculpture, inkstellation, and
photography. The idea behind the exhibit is to
showcase the talent of the EWAG staff and
acknowledge their contributions to the creative community at York. Additionally it will
provide an opportunity for frequenters of the
gallery to get to know the staff members in
more depth, and to relate to the staff on an
artistic level.

Gallery reception for this exhibit is on
October 25th, 6-9pm
Upcoming Shows
Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the
Curtain – October 15th-26th
VASA (Visual Arts Students Association)
November 5th-9th
Amanda Boulos + Stas Guzar
(President, Vice President VASA)
November 12 th-16th

ARTICHOKE | ISSUE NO.07 | OCTOBER 2012

COVER
WINTERS PRESS PLAY

LIFE
08

ENTERTAINMENT

02
05
06

HEALTH

WINTERS
EWAG
EDITOR’S LETTER
BLURBS

YORK

INTRAMURAL SPORTS
WALKING TRAILS

22
23
26
28
30
31
32

ISSUES

MAJOR SPEAK
VISUAL ARTS
THEATRE
FILM
COMMUNICATIONS

STREET STYLE
DARE TO WEAR
FIFTY SHADES OF SCANDAL
SLOGANS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
CELEBRITY NERDS

I am not a fine arts student, and at no
point in my 3 years of University have I
ever been affiliated with a fine arts program. I bounced around between history
and various social science courses for a
couple of years before settling on English as a major. 1 I love my program. This
is mostly because it gives me a great excuse to hole myself up in my room and
read for days (my favourite pastime)
and though the liberal arts have, for the
most part treated me well, living in Winters Residence in first year was the best
accidental decision I ever made because
I gained automatic affiliation to the fine
arts community without ever taking a fine
arts course.
The atmosphere in a first, second, or
even third year liberal arts or social science course is remarkably different than
the atmosphere and attitude that comes
along with participating in the fine arts.
There are hundreds of students in every
lecture. Half of these are disinterested
or on Facebook or playing Tetris because
they picked a subject they were good at
in high school and apathetically decided
that if worst comes to worst, they’ll be a
teacher. The classroom is coated with a
general air of resignation: I’m just here

because it’s the thing to do and I’m going
to get my degree because you should get
a degree and then maybe I’ll travel. Or
get an internship. Or work two minimum
wage jobs for 6 years to pay off my loan
and never use my knowledge of British literature again. I’m not saying all liberal arts
students suffer this fate, or that they’re
all passive and apathetic about their program, but the fact is that the faculty is
just too populous for every single student
to have focused direction.
Enter: fine arts students , stage left. I
have this romanticized impression of fine
arts students as the resilient, grizzled survivors of the post-secondary realm. You
might say this is because I’ve never had
an insider’s perspective, but I don’t think
so. Most of these guys are completely
aware of how competitive their field is
before they even sign up for orientation. A lot of the students I meet have a
stacked portfolio or two years experience
volunteering at their local theatre or an
established reputation as a freelance designer/photographer/film set junkie before they even set foot on campus, and
if they don’t, they get started right away.
There’s no surviving in their program otherwise. It amazes me. If a quarter of the

5

students in my classes had this motivation and passion, we’d be able to analyze
and break down the Twilight Saga in an
innovative enough way to present it as
intelligent literature.
The feature this month was inspired by
a fine artist’s main tool for survival and
longevity: help and respect from fellow
artists. Artists share a mutual understanding that you’ll never get anywhere
if there isn’t an audience to appreciate
your art, and the students in the Winters
community are truly all about supporting
one another throughout their degrees.
Whether it’s as simple as dancers commiserating and providing emotional support over 8:30am dance classes in the
middle of winter, or theatre students attending a friend’s live jazz performance
downtown, most art students make an
effort to support everyone else’s art.
On that note, I welcome you to contact us if you need help advertising a project or reviewing and exhibit or even filling out an audience. I offer this in return
for you supporting our art, by picking up
this magazine.
Lindsay Presswell,
Editor - in - Chief.

Sidenote- if you ever want to discuss the stressful, annoying, sometimes existential aspects of coming to University while not
knowing what you want to do with your life, or even really what you want to learn here, this is one of my favourite conversations ever.

6

WINTERS
COLLEGE
COUNCIL
The Master’s office is a resource that
every college has, and is vital for enriching
student life. It has offices for the college
Master, an academic advisor, and several events coordinators and student life
planners specific to each college. They
plan college events and ultimately help
to shrink the overwhelming size of York’s
campus for affiliated students. They offer
an alternative to faculty offices, where
academic advising has a reputation for
being impersonal and unhelpful. Half of
the time you’ll make an appointment so
you can seek advice from a human being,
in person, and these advisors will refer
you back to the school’s website, which is
what they are instructed to do.

The Master’s office is staffed by students and professors. In addition to
teaching and being involved around campus, both the Master (Marie Rickard) and
the Academic Advisor (John Mayberry)
keep multiple office hours during the
week and make themselves available to
students by appointment at anytime to
offer vital support that a faculty advising
office might not.

C
W

C
est.

1967

Almost all the college related events
that your College Council doesn’t plan,
the Master’s office does. Things like
lectures, concerts, fundraisers, and at
Winters specifically, Contra Dance and
the twice-annual Flea Market, are all
organized and put on by the staff of the
Master’s office.

This resource is available to all students and I encourage you to take advantage of it!
Office of the Master is located at 121 Winters College.

Music is a huge part of the Winters College
scene, and after many trips to the Absinthe
Pub on acoustic night, and successful coffee
houses and band nights during recent frosh
and frost weeks, it has become apparent that
the college has a huge supply of homegrown
musical talent. Many artists are jumpstarting their musical careers while making their
way through undergraduate studies, and this
journey makes for very interesting evolution
of sound, instrumental techniques, and musical vision for all musicians within the college.
This issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feature showcases two of these
musical outfits whose members are fine arts
students here at York. Each group is incredibly distinctive in their genre and style: one is
a hip-hop duo constantly evolving to create a
unique sound in an increasingly challenging
genre, and the other is a 12-piece orchestral
phenomenon engineering sound that was
previously missing from the music industry.

n a few years I’ll be able to say
I was the first journalist to ever
interview Sandy Pearlman and
Bones, and what’s more exciting is that this claim will mean something
big in the world of pop culture… or so I’m
assured by Harry Warshaw, one half of
this novice hip-hop duo, as we scale the
staircases of the TEL building in search
of the group’s other half, Jake Oliveira.
It’s an unconventional interview scenario:
three people huddled around a narrow table in one of the design labs on the fourth
floor speaking into an iPhone, but for the
two of them, ‘full-time student balancing
part-time job balancing substantial career
in hip-hop’ is an unconventional lifestyle.
Harry’s optimism in asserting that
Sandy Pearlman and Bones will be a pop
culture phenomenon in a few short years
could come off as overly optimistic, until
the progress they’ve made in less than a
year is considered. The two artists began
working together in early March, and
while juggling long summer months in
separate provinces, as well as the pressures of being undergrads, they managed
to add a solid EP, 3 shows, and a music
video to their repertoire (all while working
on their next project).

I

Pearls and Bones got their musical start
separately, and with very different musical influences before both attending York
University as fine arts students. The duo
functions increasingly as a collaborative
unit, but when Jake first contacted Harry
in March of this year their first track was
conceived as an impersonal assimilation
of their respective parts: Harry made
the instrumental and sent it to Jake, who
wrote a verse and they called it ‘City Life.’
“A friend of ours told me Jake rapped,
and I thought about doing something with
him but then I got busy,” Harry says of
how their group came together.
“I had e-mailed him to collaborate
originally,” notes Jake, “I was persistent!
And then you [Harry] gave me stuff, I
went over one day with a verse and we recorded ‘City Life.’ Then we kind of just sat
on it all for a while.”
After that initial track the two worked
together more frequently, until they had
their debut EP put together and ready to
share. Much of the summer months were
spent networking. September and the return to school marked the beginning of a
new project, and new methods of creating
and developing their sound.

“Doing beats before, I’d just sit in my
room and just write something, pass it off
to Jake who would write his verse,” says
Harry, “Maybe I’d tweak something later
or add a sound effect. But now with the
three tracks we’ve been working on, we’ve
both been through the entire process together. I can put what is in his mind onto
the computer.”
“We’re blending both of our ideas really
well,” adds Jake, “Same goes for the writing. Say I wrote a verse for a song, and he
wrote a better verse on a different topic than me, so I’ll go back to change my
verse to go with his... this new project is a
lot more of a collective effort for sure.”
Future plans see the two guys working
on building their music inventory, so that
they have more material to draw from
for shows. They are working at booking
venues and performing with other artists
before the school year is out.
You can check out Sandy Pearlman and
Bones’ music video debut on youTube by
searching “Stag’d Out,” and stay tuned to
Facebook and Twitter for their upcoming
full length LP.

11

C

“A lot of the arrangement has sort of
come together and changed at rehearsals
on the spot,” says Mike, “So the result is
really a contribution from everyone.”
Copycat played a lot of shows in the
summer, notably at the El Mocambo and
Cinecycle. Unique difficulties arose for
the band at shows, some having to do with
the size of the group. They found it hard
at first to move around and engage with
an audience because there were so many
band members, and there are always mistakes with each new experience.

“I learned that the assumption ‘you
should play as many shows as you can’ is a
bit overrated,” considers James.
Ben and Mike both nod in agreement,
Ben adding, “You need to rehearse. You
really need to recover and think about
each show.”
Copycat will continue their sound
evolution by focusing on honing their
techniques and tightening their pieces.
Keep an eye on their Facebook page for
show information.

opycat was an idea in front
man James Atlin-Godden’s
mind years before the 12-piece
band began to take shape and
rehearse. The idea started out as intricate, multi-instrument pieces composed
by James. He started looking for artists
to fill these instrumental roles when he
had about 13 compositions, and the band
was formed in October of 2011. Three of
twelve members, James, Ben Sirois, and
Mike Dossey, met up with Artichoke
Magazine at the Ab to discuss their formation, sound development, and the trial
and error process that comes along with
being such a large group and performing
such innovative music.
“These songs I was writing needed to be
huge and orchestral, sort of like Arcade
Fire… but more of a string and horn section and less sort of… rhythm chugging,”
James says, “I wanted it to be huge and
baroque and driven. As heavy as Owen
Pallet and other orchestral driven artists
sometimes are, I wanted them to get
heavier and decided I needed to do that
myself.”
With this goal in mind, he set out to
find creative musicians to help out with
his ambitious project. He talked to people
he knew, singers he knew, and put up
advertisements in order to fill out the
ranks of the group.
“We started improvising with sound…
a lot of fuck-ups changed things, really,”
notes Ben, considering how rehearsing
helped their sound evolve, “Something
cool would happen that was a complete
fuck-up, or a lot of experimentation. Or
we would experiment with something
new, like pedals.”
“Yeah that was cool,” adds James,
“And something I did not anticipate.
I had envisioned more of an acoustic
feel but these guys wanted to use the
pedals and that made it a lot more
electric and acidic…”

We didn’t go to experience contemporary art among the masses. And we
didn’t go to make friends with the nation.
We had set out to find Douglas Coupland.
We were six: one aspiring music journalist wearing a righteous Christmas
sweater, one plain old journalist wearing
simple plaid (that’s me), an art history
major, a computer programmer, and two
new fellows I had yet to meet.
I’m still not entirely sure why this
meant so much to us. I mean, among the
group, I’m fairly certain I was the only one
who had actually read a book by this man
(JPod, and a little bit of Generation A),
and we had all only seen a few of his art
pieces. Maybe it was simply his fame that
was alluring, though I’d hate to admit I’m
susceptible to it. He IS a Canadian icon:
a literary critic of our generation, an artist we might depend upon for political
and social commentary. There’s something mysterious and fantastic about
well-known writers and artists. When you
meet one, it’s like proving a bit of folklore to be real; the Great Bambino is an

American deity, you know. And so, this
night we were going on a mythological
journey.
His presence was announced to us early in the night. My girlfriend texted me
at around 8 o’clock saying, “Coupland IS
at Nuit Blanche!” It was at that point our
goal became clear: we were to seek out
that particular face in the crowd, and we
would have to attend as many exhibits as
it took to do so.
The trek began somewhere around
Union and we worked our way up to Old
City Hall figuring that we might as well
start with some of the most prominent
land marks. This exhibit was a soundscape
of sorts. As we walked in and around the
first floor our ears were serenaded by a vibrant and constant crescendo. I would say
it was a relaxing way to begin our journey,
but of course Douglas Coupland wasn’t in
attendance so we had to walk on.
We cut through to Nathan Phillips
Square to see the six giant psychedelic
projections which were reminiscent of a
Flaming Lips concert kept under control,

and the few smaller exhibits lying under
them: one of which was a squadron of
bicycles decorated with glow sticks, the
other a large flat hypnotic steel vortex
that, as I hear, was constantly being assembled and dismantled throughout the
city.
It was here the electronic chatter of a
rave drew us away, past two giant red orbs,
to the entrance of the City Hall parking
garage and an exhibit entitled “Museum
for the End of the World”. Douglas Coupland was getting closer.
Whether it was simply a coincidence or
a nudge by some profound cosmic force,
we wound up standing in a line to an event
we knew nothing about. All we could see
were the bald-spots of the patrons in
front of us, which we of course analyzed
to be positive they weren’t the bald-spots
of our man of the night. We stood shoulder to shoulder for likely an hour, but
eventually we approached the barricade,
made our way down into the depths of
the red-lit garage and were confronted by
a sign reading “Museum of the Rapture

artichoke

2012: Douglas Coupland, Vancouver,
Canada”. He was within our reach.
Down in the garage were the remnants
of the apocalypse. Family portraits and
graduation photos had the faces erased.
A car had been smashed into the wall
with no driver to be found. Shopping carts
filled with groceries were left to rot in the
parking lot. Mounds of flesh were oozing
trails of fluid across the floor. Children’s
toys had tumbled over onto piles of empty clothes. The atmosphere created here
was one of dark foreshadowing: what our
future might become after all our sparks
have fizzled out.
Three performance scenes were
aligned on one wall of the lot. The first
was a dreadful school setting. A teacher
who had clearly lost the will to live was
going through her daily routine at a most
unsettling pace while her two students
were being hypnotized by both their electronics and a projection of the process
through which meat is packaged. The following scene was one of Christmas day,
which featured a mother and son forcefully exchanging gifts as a satanic Santa
Claus with a spectacular Flock of Seagulls
hairdo danced across the platform. The
final piece was set in an office building
where workers were strewn across the
floor convulsing.
We were forced to assess these dioramas for quite some time because, as I’m

sure you can imagine from the ridiculous
description above, they were incredibly
intricate and surreal. I also describe these
scenes with more detail than the others
for another reason. As we stood gasping
at the sight of 1980s Santa, I was tapped
on the shoulder by my ironically Christmas-sweatered friend and told to turn
around.

15

Standing before us was tall man facing the opposite direction. His shirt was
tucked in, there was a lanyard around
his neck, he was holding a glass of what
looked like white wine and a perfectly
combed circle accentuated his bald-spot.
All of these signs pointed in one direction: this back we were staring at was the
back of Douglas Coupland…
And just then someone shouted, “Hey,
Doug!” and his back spun around and
there was his face…
We had done it. We had found him and
here he was. We congratulated him for
a thought provoking show, had a quick
conversation about the 1970s,
telephones and photo baskets
and the passion with which his
performers were acting, we shook his
hand and he was on his way: back to the
world of literature and artist things.
Later on, I was told I was the one who
yelled his name.

16

MAJOR SPEAK

THEATRE

A Theatrical Glossary
York University edition

Lucy Powis

Perhaps one of the most terrifying parts of my first year was when people would reference things, and I would have no idea what they were talking about. At York, and
specifically in the theatre department, we have created a lot of terminology that might
not have been fully explained come September, and it can definitely be confusing at
times. After about a week of school, I started to feel as though it was too late for me to
be asking questions, and I felt worse and worse when I was confused. Whether you’re
a first year theatre student, a student in another fine arts discipline, or an upper year
who wants to brush up on their theatre slang, I thought I’d give you a hand by providing
a glossary of some of the terms you’ll hear thrown around.

ARTICHOKE

17

ACE / ACW / CFA / CFT:

playGround:

TWIT:

Accolade East, Accolade West, Centre
for Fine Arts, and Centre for Film and
Theatre. These 4 buildings, which are all
connected, are also the sites of almost
every fine arts course.

York’s own theatre festival featuring new
works that are written and directed by
York students, with all York cast and crew
members. Join the Playground 2013
group on Facebook to find out more!

Theatrical Worlds in Transition, the second year theatre history course.

Burton Auditorium:

Prime Time:

A theatre at York that was shut down due
to numerous safety concerns.

Monthly meetings mandatory for all first
year theatre students where the faculty
organizes guest speakers and gives information about second year programs.

CASA:
The Creative Arts Student Association,
which is the umbrella organization that
oversees TSA (see below) and all associations for other fine arts departments.
Devised Theatre:
A series of courses that can be auditioned
for at the end of first year, with a focus on
creating theatre as an ensemble.
FFT:
The Faire Fecan Theatre,
located in the ACE.
The Horse:
A giant rocking horse that used to sit
in the CFT lobby. It was moved when
Starbucks opened. It was last seen in the
old carpentry shop, so you might get a
chance to see it during crew.
JGG:
The Joe G. Green Studio Theatre,
located in the CFT.

Surprise, Surprise:
The program that makes free tickets
shows around Toronto available to York
theatre students.
Theatre@York:
York’s main stage season, comprised
of shows put on by the 4th year acting
students and MFAs, with production
work by York’s production students and
first year theatre students.
The Thirsty Penguin:
A bar located by the Rexall Centre that
is the site of the company parties for
Theatre@York’s shows.
TSA:
The Theatre Student Association, that
acts as a liaison between the theatre faculty and students and hosts theatre-related events. TSA meets on Mondays at
6:30 pm in CFT 338, and anyone is welcome to come.

VIS:
A second year course taken by all production and devised theatre students, notorious for its weekly portfolio assignments.

Rinse, and repeat. Aside from being nine
days of quad parties and the occasional
flash mob, Winters College frosh week
had a way of enforcing just how unexpected university can be. Anyone reading this that happened to be on our boat
cruise has an idea of what I am talking
about. The entire week’s general sense of
wild abandon lasted right up to the last
event; something aptly titled “Dirty Bingo.” I may never look at stuffed unicorns
the same way again. But with the chantfilled insanity that was frosh week behind
us, every first year on campus has an entirely new set of daily activities and quickly forming habits to get into the swing of.
The first month of university could
function perfectly well as a montage.
In the movie that is your life, you have
plunky indie tunes shedding musical
insight on your every moment. Maybe
not every moment, mind you. Three hour
lectures and residence floor meetings
aren’t exactly cinematic gold.

But the fact remains, we first years are
very aware of the fact that we are currently living out one of those momentous
stages of everyone’s life. For most of us
it’s our first time living away from home
and learning all about how we function
outside our normal habitats. It’s like a
science experiment, but with free condoms and way more names to remember.
Going to floor parties, taking the subway
downtown or engaging in class discussions about classic Greek literature all
continually remind you that yes, this is
your university experience that everyone
kept telling you about all summer.
While we live out the life depicted in
the York U brochures we all picked up at
our high school university open house,
there are also some adjustments we have
to make that were perhaps less advertised
than others; one of the biggest being residence life. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I
can’t remember the last time a university
grad reminisced fondly about communal

bathrooms and stiff dorm beds. Lukewarm showers at seven in the morning
don’t exactly elicit feelings of nostalgia.
Living with a roommate is something very
new for the most of us in that situation.
Having someone on the other side of
the place you use to sleep and do homework in (or other things, if you will refer
to my free condoms comment earlier) is a
bit of a game changer. Your morning routine of doing yoga with the sunrise while
singing Pavarotti may not go over so well
with your new roomie. But, we all have to
make sacrifices, I suppose.
On top of it all there is that whole
“making friends” thing. The rules seem
to have changed from high school. Now
instead of making friends with the people
who happen to attend classes in the
same building, you have people of similar
interests as you in your program. Nobody
in your high school was a fan of new wave
French cinema? Well it just so happens
that the girl sitting next to you in your
Anatomy of a Feature Film course is way
into Jean- Luc Goddard.
For those of you who haven’t dropped
out a month in, kudos. Look at us go.
Come April, I’m sure this will all feel
like a total breeze. Right now, I’m going
to go back to my pile of homework and
see if I can’t get it done before I host my
weekly movie night tonight. Or if I get
lucky, the movie that is my life will play
The New Pornographers and kick into a
study montage.

ARTICHOKE

BY STEFAN JABLONSKI
TIFF was crazy. If you didn’t get a chance
to see any screenings this year I’m going to be blunt and say you missed out....
big time. Maybe I’m still on a virgins high
from popping my TIFF cherry, but the
whole festival was wild and if I was ever
filling out a survey, yes, I would recommend to a friend. I like to think everyone
who reads this is my friend.
My TIFF experience began with lining up downtown and drooling over which
screening tickets to buy. The vibe downtown during TIFF is a mix of film enthusiasts geeking out over who won what at
Cannes, amateur paparazzi kids trying to
hunt down and pet celebrities and lots of
clever marketing grads giving out loads of
free stuff.
I was lucky enough to snag tickets to
Xavier Dolan’s “Laurence, anyways”. At
the tender age of 23 Dolan has solidified
his spot on the roster of great French Canadian filmmakers, alongside the likes of
Denis Villeneuve and Philippe Falardeau.
“Laurence, anyways” follows the story
of a man who decides to go through a sex
change, and the consequences it has on
his life and the lives of his loved ones. You
don’t need to have your own gender reassignment surgery scheduled to relate
to the troubles that arise in Laurence’s
life. Laurence gets caught between committing to becoming a woman, one of
the most honest things he’ll ever do,
and committing to Fred, who will always
be the love of his life. The film explores
what being a man or being a woman really means, and makes the argument that
gender roles, and even biology are irrelevant in a meaningful relationship.

19

Canadian

BACON:

The gender bending tiff. experience

Melvil Poupaud on the set of Xavier Dolan’s Laurence, Anyways by Richmond Lam via. richmondlam.com

Part music video, part perfume commercial, and part photo gallery, this film is
a feast for the senses. The cinematography
is vibrant and dynamic. The soundtrack is
simply kick ass. And the excellent and
award winning performances from Melvil
Poupaud, as Laurence, Suzanne Clement
as Fred and Nathalie Baye as Laurence’s
mother almost make you forget that you
just spent three hours watching this film.
The length is this film’s downside and
where it will likely lose a lot of people. Although tolerable at a TIFF screening, in
any other circumstance audiences won’t
help but get impatient as the film drags
on for the last half hour.

Too often in Canada we cut down our
own homegrown talent. “Laurence, anyways” was shot and set here in Canada
and directed by a Canadian filmmaker.
It’s a reminder that we have the ability
to produce important works, but we often don’t take ourselves seriously enough
to do it. “Laurence, anyways” is the perfect example of why we need to show
our many talented filmmakers the love
they deserve. Although an international
festival, TIFF really spearheads the celebration of Canadian talent and it’s no
surprise that “Laurence, anyways” gets to
add TIFF’s ‘Best Canadian Feature Film’
to it’s growing list of accolades.

20

YORK

The
COMMUNICATIONS

Section

Communications...

what?!

BY RIELLE ULLBERG
I HAD a lot of expectations going
into this year - It’s my first year in
the York University Communication
Studies program - and I wonder if I’m
not already disenchanted with it all.
“It all” is referring to university life,
classes and specifically, the Communications community. It seems as if
we’re a collective of students who are
continually forgotten.
“Communications...”people
wonder alound, “what is that, like
talking to people and stuff ?” I sigh

internally and whip out my scripted reply:
“No, it’s the social and theoretical approach to media. People in my program
often go into things like journalism, advertising or public relations.” I witness a
head nod, and maybe a smile. But that’s
the extent of their interest in my studies.
As an aside, I wonder if this is true for
all the disciplines. Surely other arts students get more vivacious response; something akin to what one might say when
meeting the writer behind a favored television show, or person who directed that

Old Spice commercial. Both for
those who are involved in women’s
studies, creative writing or politics, the reaction may be as equally
dry as reactions to my own program.
Most people, it would appear, have no
clue who the communication studies students are. And what’s more, even students
themselves are a little foggy on the properties of the program. This was made clear
to me in the Communications 1000 class
when, on the first day, my professor said, “I
don’t want to dissapoint some of you, but

if you were hoping that this class was going to teach you how to produce films
or advertisements, that’s not really what
we will be learning.” I felt the energy in
the room change, and I knew dreams like
mine were being shaken. Advertising is all
I have ever wanted to learn about.
So I picked up my books and my
drooping spirits, and wandered off into
the commons. Where could I go to rejuvenate my enthusiasm for this program?
For students in the sciences, or nursing, the answer might have been simple;
my college. But Communication Studies used to be a social science, or even
if stretched, a humanities course. After
splitting into its own Faculty, we Comn
Kids got grouped with Winters College.
Now I’m not complaining, because
Winters spirit is certainly infectious. But
I, and maybe other Comn students, have
begun to realize that we don’t exactly fit
in anywhere. We’re like the Hufflepuffs of
York University.

“Oh, so you’re in Winters College?”
A girl I met in my Psych class asked. “So
you’re an arts student, like film or visual
arts or something.” I corrected her, “No,
I’m in Communication Studies.” “Communications, what is that?” And the cycle
continued.
People in Winters undoubtedly know
who we are. Winters is a wonderfully
inclusive society, after all. However, it
doesn’t change how Communication
Studies fits into the greater York culture,
and the voice that I onve envision we had,
is lost in the sea of York programs.
Maybe this is just a problef of inclusion. I’ve heard that on average, the York
community lacks school spirit, resulting
in things like poor attendance to sports
games. Maybe being a commuter school
is manifesting problems in other areas
than just attendance to 8:30 AM tutorials.

And maybe if somehow, magically,
we could fix the spirit problem, the York
community would strengthen, and students would feel at home, no matter
what college, prgram or group they are
involved in.
I still see a silver lining to all this. Communication Studies has got its own Faculty, and all the amenities that come along
with it, we now have someone to represent us in the Artichoke Magazine (yours
truly), and we don’t have to bear all that
pressure that comes along with studying
music or dance. We Hufflepuffs can just
chill and enjoy their shows. To make light
of these early days, I remain optimistic
and send off a parting message; I’ll be
here, mudding through it all, and I invite
you - Comm Kid or not - to join me.

22

lifestyle

Street
Style

by Emma Beckett

Artichoke: Do you feel like your major
inspires your fashion at all?

some pretty cute little stores that have
really great pieces.

Danielle: In certain ways yes, especially because of my interest in Victorian Literature, I like a lot of lace and high necks.

A: You mentioned you were from
Montreal, are there any stores down
there that you really like and remember?

A: Your outfit has a lot of interesting
textiles, would you say there is any fabric
that is your favorite, or that you really like
to wear?

D: There are tons of places in Montreal. This isn’t vintage shopping, but one
of my favorite boutiques in Montreal is
called Lustre. She is a local designer there
and she makes everything in the store, so
when you go and shop there she will tailor
things, like if the shirt is just a little bit too
big in the waist but it fits everywhere else
they’ll specifically tailor it there on the
spot for you. So that’s a really great store,
and there are also lots of great vintage
places. There is this store called Eva B on
Saint-Laurent where they have literally a
dollar pile. So you take off your shoes and
you go in and you wade through all this
stuff, and lot of it is crap but you can occasionally find really cool things for just
a dollar.

D: Lace. Lace is great, I also really
like chiffon, I’m not wearing any today,
but its fun.

Photos: Haley Walton

A: Is there anything you are wearing
right now that has an interesting story
about where you got it, or where it came
from?

Danielle Bird is a student from
Montreal, who is at York completing her
Masters degree in English Literature. Her
outfit was so eye catching that a couple
Artichoke staff stopped to find out more,
and ask her for a bit of fashion advice.

D: Well, the dress that I’m wearing is
actually inherited from a friend who I did
a clothing swap with, so that’s how I get a
lot of my clothes. I either vintage shop or
I have a little community of friends who
all do the same thing, and we all get together once in a while to swap.
A: Are there any particular stores
downtown or another area in Toronto that
you like to shop?
D: Well I’m not too familiar with Toronto yet because I’m new here, but I live
in Parkdale so on Queen West there are

A: Is there anyone specific that inspires your fashion?
D: I guess Audrey Hepburn is probably my biggest fashion inspiration. I love
her, and that kind of classic style that she
holds.

DARE to
Wear

Nature’s Art
in
Symmetry

“

High fashion. Patterns.
Shapes… most of all, an
alluring sense of style. Do
I have your attention yet?
Great!

By, Carmen Chen
To be brutally honest, I am very picky
with my wardrobe or taste in Canadian
runway fashion. However, when I stumbled across a campaign on Facebook for

a designer’s fall/winter 2012 collection
(which I later discovered made its runway
debut at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York
Hotel back in March) I immediately fell
in love with the pieces. Toronto fashion
designer Lucian Matis’ “Nature’s Art in
Symmetry” features a collection with
lavish Gothic creations with intricate
lace, crocheted and feathered details.
Lucian Matis: “This campaign was my
first collaboration with photographer
Greg Swales and the entire shoot came

together effortlessly. The location we
selected is a couple of hours outside of
Toronto and it belongs to a long time
friend of mine. I always wanted to use
this site and this felt like the perfect campaign for it -- dark and mysterious, not to
mention haunted. This incredible cottage
situated on it’s own island was built in the
early 1900 and it has never been renovated since. Some parts of it are dilapidated
and I just simply loved the way nature has
integrated into mankind’s structures.”

ARTICHOKE

His website describes his autobiography and the many awards and
recognitions he has had throughout
the years: Romanian-born fashion designer Lucian Matis grew up in his
mothers tailor shop and began designing
at a very early age, with his first customers being his teachers. Prior to moving
to Canada in 1999, Matis studied art and
completed a specialization in painting
and graphics at the Sibiu Art Institute in
Transylvania. In 2000, Matis continued his

education in the Fashion Design program
at Ryerson University where his talent
was very quickly noticed. Along with
being granted an early graduation in
2003, he also received multiple awards
including: The Fur Council of Canada
Award (2002), Le Chateaus Menswear
Competition (2002), Peoples Choice
Award for Best Sketch (2002), Semi-finalist for the International Young Designer Competition (2002) and Alfred Sung
Award for great design talent (2003).
Lucianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first professional collection was presented at Loreal Fashion
Weeks Fall/Winter 2007 shows, and
was received with great accolades and
praise from the Canadian industry.
Matis has gone on to secure an unmatched presence in television, online
and print media. He was requested for
a special guest appearance on the season finale of the highly rated Canadas
Next Top Model where his collection was
featured in its entirety. Matis was also invited to participate on the first season of
Slice networks hit reality TV show, Proj-

25

ect Runway Canada where he gained a
vast fan base across the country, and took
a contentious second place. In addition,
Matis has been featured in several indepth profiles on Fashion Television, and
has done regular on-air runway reports
on his collections for Etalk, Entertainment Tonight Canada, Breakfast Television, CityLine, Marilyn Dennis, Global
Television, CBC World News, and CP24.
Matis collections have graced the pages and covers of numerous national and
international publications including Flare,
Elle Canada, Lush, Applied Arts, Globe
& Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post, ION, Tribute (France), Womens Wear Daily (USA), and
Launchpad (USA).

26

HEALTH

BY: VERONICA APPIA

I am guilty as charged. This trilogy took over my life for a few weeks, and I could not
put these novels down until they were finished. When I first entered the book store to
purchase these reads, I was told how lucky I was that they received shipment that day,
because they were selling out like crazy. I knew that sales were not about to slow down
any time soon...
It’s no secret that the Fifty Shades Trilogy, by E. L. James, has caused much
controversy among literary critics everywhere. While they are not the most eloquently written novels, they are definitely
captivating with emotionally profound
story lines and I think this aspect is lost
on many critics who cannot see past the
S and M aspect.
Let’s be honest. Erotic romances are old news. We have erotica novels
such as Anais Nin’s Delta of Venus and
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, written over
fifty years ago, which are just as provocative. So, what makes Fifty Shades so
scandalous? Well, it takes the pre-women’s movement mentality of the submissive female and applies it to present day
(how dare she!). Can I be the first to say,
so what? This novel does not condone

submission and violence against women,
in fact it does quite the opposite.
This is a story about Christian
Grey, who had an abused and troubled
childhood and youth, leading him to turn
to sadomasochistic behaviour for relief.
Though he initially wishes to coax her into
his dark world, he finds something in Ana
Steele that he has never found in anyone
else before: the capacity to love. That is
Christian’s ultimate objective. It is not
a struggle for power and control, that is
a ramification of his past. Christian requires love in order to live, so before Ana
he had not truly lived the life he desired,
and there is some sort of beauty in that
notion. Through Ana, Christian is actually
able to overcome many of his former tendencies, and the most important aspect is
that he wants to.

ARTICHOKE

These are novels about choices. Ana is
not forced into anything and is rather
a strong character. She is consistently
conscious of her decisions, irrespective
of what her friends and family will think.
And when it comes to Christian, she is
initially opposed to his invitation for an S
and M relationship. Everything she does
throughout all three novels she decides
on her own and sometimes she can be
quite surprising.
Something to remember is that,
ultimately, Christian and Anastasia are
from two completely different worlds,
with completely different upbringings,
morals and perspectives. They are capable
of reconciling these differences and finding a middle ground. They have a give and
take relationship and they both highly impact each other and learn a lot from their

differences. Just as Christian tries to persuade her to live his lifestyle, she begins
to do the same. They both experiment
with aspects of each other’s lives until a
comfort point is achieved. If these novels
promote submission, I suppose Christian
is somewhat of a submissive as well.
I’ll be the first to admit that
James’ quality of writing is not the most
exquisite. And “oh my”, is it ever redundant. The sex began to lose its pizzazz
after her “nipples elongated under his
expert touch” about a hundred times.
However, other than her repetitive word
choices, James’ novel is thrilling and her
characters are well developed. I love
Ana’s inner goddess, as she is both the
angel and the devil on Ana’s shoulders. It
is a treat to be able to see Ana’s thought
processes, and this only contributes into

27

making her character more intricate and
more human.
This novel proves to be psychologically complex and the characters are
rich and three-dimensional. That is what
makes this trilogy so appealing. Oh and
the steamy sex scenes, of course. If you
ask me, James is a creative genius, because whether you’d like to believe it or
not, sex sells, and controversy sells even
more. With over 40 million copies sold
worldwide, who could argue that this isn’t
more than just a guilty pleasure?

28

ENTERTAINMENT

DOUGLAS

COUPLANDS

SLOGANS
FOR THE 21

ST

CENTURY
I’m not the kind of person who frequents
gallery openings. Although I can usually
appreciate the beauty of or effort put into
a piece of art, I cannot usually offer you
more critique than a generic “Oh wow,
this painting looks nice!” My interest and
theoretical training as an undergrad lies
in words. Poetry, literature, even movie scripts are my paint and charcoal. For
this reason, I expected to be well out of
my element when I attended the Toronto
gallery opening of Canadian super artist
Douglas Coupland’s ‘Slogans for the 21st
Century” at the Daniel Faria Gallery. On
the contrary, aside from slight confusion

BY LINDSAY

PRESSWELL
at being offered free wine of exceptional quality and my supreme awkwardness
around my fellow Coupland enthusiasts’
middle-aged pretention, I found myself
connecting with the exhibit on an intensely personal level.
The reason why I could relate so much to
the ideas that inspired and encompassed
the exhibit is that I am product of and
prisoner to exactly what intrigues Coupland about my generation, or ‘Generation A,’ as he calls children of the 90s and
early 2000s. In the description on the
Daniel Faria Gallery website, Coupland’s
work is described as an “ongoing body of

ARTICHOKE

29

statements that try and isolate what is
already different in the twenty-first century mind as opposed to the twentieth.”
He displays this thesis in the form of dozens of 2x3 foot wooden boards painted
in bright pastels, declaring in capitol letters things like “The Internet allows you
to dream while you are still awake,” “Our
only hope is to invent something smarter than ourselves,” and “The downside
of being connected is that you’re always
connected.” And sure enough, as I type
these words I’ve got Facebook, Twitter,
two different e-mail accounts, and a link
I perused after a quick Google search.
‘Coupland slogans 21st century’ yielded
781 000 results in 0.44 seconds, and
just like that I have all of the information
I need to write this article.
The ability to access an infinite plethora
of information, and the implications this
has on Generation A is something that DOUGLAS COUPLAND’S ‘SERIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY’ EXHIBITED AT DANIEL FARIA
Coupland seems especially fascinated GALLERY IN TORONTO, CANADA.
with. “Once the Internet colonizes your edge to be had from clicking around in it means to be connected to one another
brain it cannot be decolonized.” “Know- cyber space that it seems impossible all the time, to be permanently trackable
ing everything turns out to be slightly for anyone to have a completlyoriginal on the grid that is social media. I very
boring.” These and numerous other slo- thought, or to reflect upon everything much enjoyed my experience there and
gans explore the idea that the amount of that is instead, passively absorbed. To would recommend it to anyone in my age
information we have at our fingertips is so learn, you need to process and evaluate group, as well as any user of technology. I
extensive that it is inherently meaning- the information and opinions your read, think its not unrealistic to assert the need
less. I notice this fact especially amongst think about what it means to you person- to be less passive about our usage of the
my peers. So much of what I hear in snip- ally. The Internet does not allow you time Internet and the way we process informapets of converto do this and I feel tion found when we are plugged in: think
sation, debates,
as though the major- of everything we see in the same way we
“It’s probably for the best that
and discussions
ity of people do not would absorb a novel, a magazine article,
about social is- everyone is online instead of outside
make time for nec- or an art exhibit. Be critical and aware of
sues is nothing
what we are reading, seeing, and subscribessary reflection.
wrecking things.”
but fragmented
Coupland’s exhib- ing to: think about what we want our genregurgitation of
it, though criticizing erations’ slogans to be, and fulfill it.
thoughts gathered on the Internet. You how technology and the Internet affect
could argue that access to this much in- its users, does not damn it entirely. The
formation should make my generation slogans simply provide a cautionary tale
more intelligent than any before it, but of what have become the values of people
the fact is that there is so much knowl- in the Information Age. It analyzed what

30

ENTERTAINMENT

ONE OF US

BY ELLI WAESE
And now, presented for your pleasure: a
list of famous people that are nerds and
geeks just like us.

5. Vin Diesel

cally performed for a live audience, is a
song that lists the name of every element
in the periodic table.

3. Barack Obama

Starting off the list at number five is
Vin Diesel, the bald, buff white guy that
you know from such action films as The
Chronicles of Riddick and The Fast and the
Furious and not that one family comedy
that shall go unnamed about a bald, buff
guy that finds himself hi-lariously out of
place as a babysitter. Yeah, that guy - he
loves him some Dungeon and Dragons.
When I say he loves D&D, I mean he’s
written his own campaign setting, has a
tattoo of the name of his character, wrote
the preface to a collection of D&D artwork and even begged Dame Judi Dench
to take a part in The Chronicles of Riddick
because he’s a big fan and not because he
wanted her to be the Dungeon Master for
one of his games, which she did agree to
(she’s had past experience doing the same
for her grandchildren). If you’re unfamiliar with D&D, think of it as having the
voice of Britain itself read Harry Potter
to you.

Don’t let all that basketball playing fool
you. John Hodgman got it right when he
said Obama is the “first nerd president of
the modern era.” He’s a longtime collector of Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comics. He doesn’t try to hide the
fact that he’s a huge fan of Star Trek,
making it abundantly obvious when he
greeted Leonard Nimoy with the Vulcan
hand salute. In relation to an argument
he was making, Obama once made mention of a ‘red pill and a blue pill’ during
a national news conference about health
care. At another event, he joked “I was
actually born on Krypton and sent here
by my father Jor-El to save the Planet
Earth.” And, hey, speaking of Harry Potter, Obama has read all of the Harry Potter books and even dressed up as a wizard
when he took his daughters to a midnight
release of one of the books. Not bad, Mr.
President, not bad.

4. Daniel Radcliffe

If you’re a regular viewer of the Colbert Report, you already have some idea
of just how massive a fan of the Lord of
the Rings Colbert is. To begin with, he actually has Aragorn’s sword, given to him
by Viggo Mortensen on the show, which
he promptly added to his LotR collection. This collection also includes a huge
statue of Sauron, a replica of the ring of
power and a limited edition LotR Pinball
Machine. Colbert isn’t just a collector:
he’s a veritable walking LotR encyclopedia. When CNN unknowingly used
an image of the Balrog from a 1977 Lord
of the Rings calendar when they meant
to just grab an image of Satan for their
news coverage back on June 6th, 2006

Speaking of Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe has admitted to being obsessed
with various cartoons. In more than one
interview he’s mentioned Spongebob
Squarepants as being a classic. Radcliffe
also lists Avatar: the Last Airbender
among his favourites and has added: “not
the film - which I haven’t seen - but the
animated series is awesome,” proving himself to anyone who ever doubted him. He
also considers Tom Lehrer, an American
mathematician who performed satirical
piano pieces in the 50’s and 60’s, his hero.
On one talk show, Radcliffe performed
Lehrer’s song “The Elements”. Yes, one of
his favourite songs, which he enthusiasti-

2. Stephen Colbert

(06/06/06), it did not go unnoticed by
Colbert who, of course, had said calendar.
Colbert took it upon himself to explain on
his show that, “Devils and Balrogs are totally different. Devils are angels who refused to serve God and instead followed
Satan into hell. Balrogs are Maiar who
refused to serve Eru and instead followed
Morgoth into Thangorodrim. Get your
facts straight, CNN!”

1. Robin Williams

Sure some people are remotely aware
that Robin Williams is a nerd of terrifying proportions after it was revealed
that his eldest daughter’s name is Zelda
in a commercial they both appeared in
for the remake of Ocarina of Time, but
that really only hints at the sheer depth
of his nerdiness. From Ghost in the Shell
to AKIRA and Princess Mononoke, Robin
Williams is a huge fan of anime. He even
brought in his own toy from the anime
Neon Genesis Evangelion (his favourite
show of all time) to use in his dark, psychological thriller One Hour Photo, going
as far as to make a completely irrelevant
stealth joke about the show too. While
promoting said film, he also admitted to
being addicted to the Internet and being
“fascinated” by online military games. In
other words, if you’ve ever played Call of
Duty or Battlefield 2 at 2am, you may
have been sniped by Robin Williams. It
gets better. In the event of a live-action
film adaptation of Pokémon, he has said
that he wants to play Professor Oak and
Nintendo responded by telling him they
would consider no one but him to play
the part if that were to happen. For that
alone, Robin Williams takes the number
one spot.
Apologies for the lack of lady nerds in
the list. Shout out to Whoopi Goldberg
for being a serious sci-fi fan!

HEALTH

31

@
W
Winters
Intramurals

By Shannon Marek

It pretty much goes without saying, but
most fine arts students aren’t athletes.
I’ve never really understood this. Maybe
it’s because we tend to be so focused on
perfecting our craft, whether it be visual
or theatrical, that we just never find the
time for sport. Or maybe it’s some fear
of stepping out of a comfort zone that
we’ve created for ourselves. Whatever
it may be now is the time to break that
norm and have some good old-fashioned
athletic fun! And by this, I mean join your
fellow Winters’ peeps on an intramural
team, and show the other colleges what
Winters is made of.
It might come as a surprise to you, but
last year Winters actually kicked some ass
in the intramural department. This year
is shaping up to be even better. There is
so much enthusiasm shared by the veterans and freshmen alike. Outdoor soccer
started the end of September and more
individual sports, such as tennis, have
also started. If you have interest in another sport such as volleyball, dodgeball,
or indoor soccer, don’t be afraid to find
out how to get involved. There are male,
female, and co-ed teams. It all depends
on how much interest there is, whether
or not a team is entered. There are more
ladies showing an interest this year which
is exciting, especially for the co-ed teams.

It should be noted that in order for a
co-ed team to commence that must be
at least 2 females on the field/court at all
times. Unfortunately last year Winters
teams had to forfeit games due to this
technicality. So come on ladies, make
Winters proud and sign up!!
Some of the big things that might deter people from coming out are the level
of competition and skills required to play
a given sport. Well my answer to both, is
don’t worry about it because we all just
want to have fun, and enjoy ourselves.
This is a chance for all of us to let loose
and make new friends… and rep Winters
College of course.

“There are male, female,
and co-ed teams”
I’m super excited about this year for
Winters Athletics, and I hope to see some
great numbers. If you are interested in a
certain sport, or would like to join a team,
please send an email to Taneisha McAdam at vpathletics@winterscouncil.com.
You can also join the Facebook group:
Winters Athletics 2012/13. I look forward
to seeing you on the field!

“You miss 100% of the shots
you don’t take.”
– Wayne Gretzky

32

HEALTH

WALKING
TRAILS
Goal #1: Taking Care of
Yourself Through Exercise
IN THE LAST ISSUE of Artichoke I talked about choosing
goals, and now I’ll discuss a really worthwhile goal: taking care of
yourself. In specifics, to exercise! Even if you’re not training for
a sport or don’t want to look like those thin/buff celebrities we
see half-naked in the media, something is better than nothing.
And wouldn’t it be nice to be able to run for the bus or class
without huffing and puffing for five minutes afterwards? It takes
more than wishful thinking for that to happen. We have to get
up and get moving. This is not just to be buff, thin, muscular, fit,
maintain weight or prevent weight gain, or whatever. Exercise
benefits more than just your body, it also benefits your mind.
Advantages include increased energy, endurance, and confidence, making you more relaxed and happier, helping you fall
asleep faster, and decreasing risks of cardiovascular diseases,
type 2 diabetes, depression and arthritis. Convinced yet?
Once you know why you’re doing it, it helps to pick an exercise that you enjoy since that will make you more likely to stick
with exercising as a routine. Exercises in a social setting such as

a Zumba class at Tait McKenzie Centre with Deborah, helps you
connect with others who will inspire you to keep on going, or
be your secret competition, and make new friends while you’re
at it. If, for some reason, you can’t make it to a gym, you can
follow along to exercise DVDs (I’m a fan of Women’s Health
videos) wherever you have the space. Other things you can do
during the day to stay healthy include taking the stairs instead of
an elevator, walking the long route to class, and when I need to
transport my laptop, I hold it up using alternative hands. There
are also walking trails at York. Yes, you read that correctly, York
has Campus Walking Trails, as I recently found in a map of Keele
with helpful colourful dotted lines winding their way through
buildings and roads to make up various routes and lengths.
With a variety of trails to choose from, from a 1.6km walk to
the 5.3km length of the perimeter of the campus, you can pick
one that’s right for you and within your time frame. Some more
advantages to checking out these walking trails are exploring the
campus, getting fresh air and cardio!

**Make sure to stay hydrated and refill your water bottle, there
are water refilling stations located in buildings all around campus.
For those who want a more intense outdoor workout, there’s
always the option of bringing along your heavy textbooks or
weights, stopping in buildings along the way to go up and down
stairs, running and/or biking the trails. There is a bike path on
The Pond Road to Sentinel Road, with bike lockers in the Bennett Center and William Small Center. Between classes you can
always leave your locked bike on bike racks if you need.
Exercise can be as fun, boring, challenging, or easy as you want
it to be; there’s something for everyone. Inspirational quotes,
pump-up songs, or photos of your favourite celebrity can motivate you stay on track even on those days when you don’t feel
like exercising. I don’t know of anyone who has ever regretted
exercising (just make sure to always warm-up and cool-down so
you don’t hurt yourself). Whatever your motivation is, it’ll help
you make the time to exercise in-between classes, transporta-

tion/commuting, work, and leisure. It will be worth it, and not
only for your physical health, so get up and get moving! You’ll
thank me later.*
*Staying healthy now and making it into a habit and a routine
helps you stay healthy, which REALLY helps when you age and
start having problems. Get into the habit of taking care of yourself now so you can live as healthily and as pain-free as possible
later on.
Zumba at Tait (Studio 1) with Deborah
Wednesdays 7:30-8:30pm
Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm

https://www.facebook.com/groups/110495489101794/

34

ISSUES

Now that you’re living on your
own and the parents can’t (and
wont) bail you out financially, its
good to know how to make the
most of this year for less. Sure,
you might think that saving is a
drag, but I’m not asking you to
set money aside every month,
I am telling you how to avoid
spending unnecessarily on food,
entertainment, transport and
school, so you can (once in a
while) enjoy the finer things in
life with your hard “saved” cash.
by: Yousra Zaki
Do buy the “in-betweener “ jacket.

Don’t spend a lot on Rain boots

Do have a good variety of “carry-on”

Ahh, fall. It comes with its confusingly
bipolar weather… warm on one day and
cold another other day. This is the warm
enough, yet not too warm jacket you want
for the October/November months. You
don’t want to be wearing layer over layer,
so stick with just one piece. This one has
to be a chic color that could work well on
jeans, black pants even burgundy (very
in season color right now). I suggest a
light parka in a military green or a black
leather jacket; a look that works for both
men and women. Don’t spend over $60
on this piece and it will last for years (just
make sure its timeless).

We often see the famous Hunter rain
boots for 200$ a pop. Michael Kors and
Coach have got them too (both over
180$!!). But if you really take a close look
at them, they are all made of the same
material. RUBBER. You should never
spend over 50$ on rubber boots! Its not
like we’re in Vancouver where rain is an
everyday occurrence, but you still don’t
want those socks getting uncomfortably
wet, so just be simple.

For women, carrying a purse is something
that has become impossible not to do.
Handbags are the things that we spend
an insane amount of money on. They are
literally just portable storage spaces. I allow you one to two expensive handbags,
(one purse and one clutch) while other
bags such as satchels, messenger bags
and school bags have to be reasonably
priced, ladies.
Men on the other hand tend to have an
appreciation for good wallets, since that’s
all they usually carry around. Many places
have good quality “manly” leather wallets
for under 25$ (you could find some designer too).

Best place to find good quality rubber boots:

Best place to find the fall jacket for less:

Best place for Women’s handbags: H&M, Urban
Behavior, & Forever 21
Best place for Men’s Wallets: Winners, Sears.
$25

$49
$54

$19

ARTICHOKE

Don’t spend a lot on the basics.
It is not just Canada, but many other
countries get their clothes from one
particular place: China. So when you’re
buying basic white T-shirts, V-necks,
wife-beaters, tank tops and leggings,
stick with those trashy bright-colored
stores that target pre-teens and teens.
First of all they are cheaper, because they
are targeted at people who still live on an
allowance and second of all they are massive stores! There is almost always some
section in the store on sale and they have
phenomenal basic clothes. The Neon
Jumpers, that quite similar to the overpriced and just awful quality at PINK are
a fraction of the price and can keep you
just as warm. Things you could find there
include 3 v-necks t-shirts for 15$ or 2
pairs of leggings for $12! Just ignore all
the other over-the-top clothes.
Best place for cheap and good basics: Sirens, Urban
Behavior, Fairweather, Stitches and Bluenotes.

Do think long and hard before buying
boots for the cold.
Those babies have got to be good. They
have to last, keep you warm and it doesn’t
hurt if they look good too. To all you
UGG wearers out there, I admit that
they are the most comfortable footwear
since fluffy bunny slippers, but the flimsy outer material that is covered in salt
stains and allows water to seep through
is not an everyday winter boot (plus they
cost $300!!) So stop wearing them every
day and get yourself something waterproof. When shopping for winter boots
on a budget, forget about brand names.
Buy waterproof boots that have a warm
and fuzzy inside. You can find the warmest snow boots for under $120 for sure!
Best place to buy winter boots: Payless & The Bay.

35

Don’t spend too much on
winter accessories:

Do invest on your Winter Jacket
(but don’t go crazy)

1. All your head really needs in a comfy
woolly cap. This winter your cap
shouldn’t cost more than $13. Sure
some people like to go designer with
this particular accessory, but this is the
item that you lose so often during winter, so I suggest not to splurge. Go for
a nice looking black, beige or navy blue
beanie. Brighter colors remind me of
pro snowboarders.

This saleswoman at the Bay tried convincing me that I needed a $700 MaxMarra
snow jacket to feel warm, when I simply
just made an excuse, and went to the upper floor and did my winter jacket shopping without the scrutinizing eyes of any
sales assistant. I tried on all the jackets I
thought looked good, felt the warmth of
all of them and finally made my decision.
They best places to go for winter jackets
are department stores; because they have
so many different brands under one large
roof. This allows you to stay in one place
and try as many different brands as you
like. Plus they have a huge price range
from the basic to the designer, usually not
so expensive.

2. Scarves are your best game changers in
winter. Because you’re committed to
just one winter coat, the scarf gives you
some refreshing change. This is where
you can buy 3 to 5 different colors,
styles and textures, depending on the
mood you are in. It’s always good to
have the simple black scarf, but scarves
are what add a splash of color to your
winter outfit. Also matching the scarf
with your hat is kind of outdated, so be
creative with different colors.
3. Gloves are also very important in the
cold. Try not to spend too much on
gloves if you’re not outdoors too often.
They can be leather if you don’t lose
your stuff often, other than that... stick
with woolly black or beige.
Best place for winter accessories: H&M, Aeropostal, Forever 21, Sears, the Bay and Winners.

Best stores for Winter Jacket shopping: The Bay,
Sears, Winners and Marshalls.

36

ISSUES

THE TRUTH ABOUT

Personality
By LAURA SPEARE

Why you’re only
awesome sometimes
Expectations! We all have them. Deny
it though we may, we can’t staunch the
flow of thoughts and assumptions we
make about people we see. When we
approach a person who looks sketchy,
we expect them to be shifty and rough
around the edges. Even if they’re not,
or wouldn’t seem so out of context, anything they say strikes us as something
not to be trusted. This is not to say that
everyone judges others based on appearance. Though some may do this, I like to
think (perhaps only for my own sanity)
that judgment of people is most often
based on a sort of feeling that we get
from these people, an aura that they give
off - their energy, I suppose. Far from
airy-fairy hippyism, this really seems
to me more of a question of common
human instinct. It makes perfect sense

that we should be instilled at birth or
through experiences with a sort of builtin device that helps us judge the risk involved with being around different people
and entering different social situations.
But our instinctual abilities move beyond just assessing risk. We humans - or
at least the ones in my circle - are very
good at assessing social situations. When
entering a group, some people are excellent at picking out who fits into which
role. There may not be a definable set
of personality types for every group (or
maybe there is - I haven’t done a lot of
research), but there are very distinct
categories that each person may fit into.
There is the shy person - the one who’s
quiet, reserved, and cautious; the outgoing person with all their loud guffaws
and ideas; the short-tempered one who

rears up at anything that is said; and any
number of other vaguely defined sorts
of people within any sort of social group.
But what’s interesting is that the role
to which a person adheres in a group
setting changes depending on who
else is involved. A person who’s loud
and irrational in one instance might be
cripplingly shy in another. What it depends on is who else is there: there’s
a sort of unspoken hierarchy when
any group of people is thrown together. Using myself as an example, on
my own, I would say I am neither terribly shy nor particularly outgoing.
I am somewhere on one of the middle
rungs of the social ladder - and yet, put
me with people who give off an aura of
shaking timidity and I will be a dominating force of extroverted energy. Conversely, if the people I’m with are fiercely outgoing, or even somewhere in the
middle like myself, I will become quiet
and thoughtful. It’s not a conscious decision on my part - nor is it, I presume,
for most people. It’s just the way things
are, the unwritten code of social interaction.Without thinking about it, people
act the way they know they’re perceived
in that particular gathering of people.
This is something to think about next
time you approach another person.
Think about who you are with that person. Compare that version of yourself
with the one you present in other social
situations. Chances are good that there
will be discrepancies; no one person is
completely consistent in every aspect of
their personality.So what’s all this hype
about consistency, then? Does it even
exist? If the very fabric of human life
can’t stop molding and changing, how
can we keep ourselves from spinning out
of control? This is mind-altering stuff,
and you heard it first from me.

ARTICHOKE

37

38

BY: NIRU
SIK

A BAL AM

OHAN

ARTICHOKE 39

THE SOCIAL AND MORAL ISSUES
in Canada are often debated, where
everyone argues which social norms are
right and which are wrong. Prostitution is
a topic that gets a lot of public attention
and a vast amount of different views. Prostitution has been legalized in Canada and
many people reacted to this with anger,
expressing the belief that the profession is
wrong and degrading to women. Some say
women have the right to their own bodies
and being able to decide if they want to
utilize their bodies to make a living.
In the midst of those who are against
legalizing prostitution and those who
are for, there are many who are personally divided on the matter, and even more
who are unaware of the many different
layers of the issue. This article explores
the institution of prostitution in Canada and may serve to open the eyes of
readers, to help them gain an insight
about this particular profession and those
who are involved in it.
Earlier this year on March 26th, National Post published an article titled,
Ontario Court of Appeal Greenlights
Brothels, Sweeps Aside Many of Canada’s Anti-Prostitution Laws, written by
Adrian Humphreys. According to this
article, those involved in prostitution are
legally permitted to hire their own staff,
such as bodyguards and drivers. They are
also allowed to run functionalized brothels or in other words, “bawdy houses”
however, it is illegal for prostitutes to approach people on the streets or for
them to be exploited by “pimps.”
“I think it’s positive,” expresses
Sherry Rowley, a humanities professor
at York University. “Women in the sex
industry now have more control over
their own bodies, rather than them being
controlled by others.”
Several have other opinions about prostitution, especially when it comes to some

feminist views “There are many perspectives,” says Rowley. “Some say women
can’t be safe in this profession. They are
coerced because of class issues and they
may not have any other alternative, so
they come to this decision.” When doing
additional research, what Rowley had said
is evidently found to be true.
Many feminists do in fact believe a
woman selling her body is basically selling
her womanhood. Therefore a prostitute,
given what she does for a living, is considered to be degrading herself. The profession is also seen to be dangerous. Stories
are heard about women being slaved to do
sexual favours, or being physically abused
and taken advantage of by men.
In the article published in the National
Post, a former prostitute expressed her
views on the laws being passed about
prostitution. “I’ve worked the street for
more than fifteen years and this won’t
keep anyone safe,” says Katrina MacLeod.
“It’s more than troubling, it’s disgusting.”
Camille Paglia, a feminist philosopher
once said, “The prostitute is not, as feminists claim, the victim of men but rather
their conqueror, an outlaw who
controls the sexual channel
between nature and culture.” Some feminists
argue that a woman has
all the free rights and

choice of her own body. Whether she
wants to sell it in a sexual manner for
profit or decides it should not be of anyone else’s business.
During her interview for this column,
Sherry Rowley was asked, How would
prostitution be viewed if men were involved?
“There are men who work in the sex
industry however, many don’t know of
it. People aren’t aware of the men who
work in this industry because the media
reflects our culture. Our culture views
prostitution to be ‘only something women
do.’” Rowley then goes on to say, “If the
public came to know men were involved
in prostitution, it would be seen as any
other profession that involves both men
and women. Also, men would be more
valued in the profession than women because we still live in a patriarchy.”
Everyone is entitled to voice their opinions, whether they support prostitution or
not. However, women who work as prostitutes should not be viewed as “whores,”
“sluts” and “gold-diggers.” They should
not be shunned for being “just a prostitute.” They work as prostitutes in order
to make money for themselves - and in
many cases, their families - to
survive and they do not harm
anyone around them.
I hope this article served to
open the discussion of prostitution and most importantly,
form a social acceptance of the
women who work in this
profession.